MERCAZ USA Newsletter — Summer 2002

Masorti Jews Reflect on Israel's 54th Birthday

I. Shimon Arbel, Director-General, Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies:
Yom HaAtzmaut Sameach! Happy 54 to Israel! As we mark Yom Hazikaron today, and usher in Yom HaAtzmaut this evening, the following thoughts come to mind:

Israeli society and democracy are strong in the face of war and terrorism. Despite the fact that Israel is now the front line of western democracies in the war against Islamic terror, we have maintained a civil society and our civil liberties as if we enjoyed peace with our next-door neighbors.
Israelis have not despaired over the future of our country. Seventy thousand new immigrants have moved to Israel since the Palestinians initiated their terrorist war on Israel in September 2000, while statistics are also not indicating any dramatic rise in emigration.
Israelis have maintained their basic humanity in the face of inhumanity. As angry and as betrayed Israelis feel by the Palestinian leadership, there are no massive rallies demanding to round up and deport Israeli Arabs or to transfer the Palestinians over the River Jordan to the neighboring Hashemite Kingdom.

Why I am still here [after having moved from Canada in 1973]? It continues to be a privilege to live in Israel and be part of the ongoing rebuilding of Zion. "Chag Yom HaAtzmaut Sameach" — as the dream is alive and well in Jerusalem!

II. Judy Dvorak Gray, Administrator, Masorti/MERCAZ Olami:
So many of you have expressed concerned for our well being here in Jerusalem and we really appreciate your caring and support. It's been difficult to answer you, because it's been difficult to write about both the events and emotions that we have been feeling. But I'll try.

There is no 'routine' anymore. We wake up each day and try hard to go on with our lives, but there's always the feeling in the back of our minds that our world can be turned upside down at any minute. We throw our energies into our work, family lives, friends, Shabbat and holiday celebrations — anything to keep up the feeling of normalcy.

But then the emotional walls we build come down when we hear that a son of friends has been killed in a terrorist attack, our local civil guard commander wounded at a bus stop, our children's friends called up for emergency reserve duty in Jenin. There are too many of these scenarios.

How do we go on? I honestly don't know. I think it comes down to the fact that we are Israeli. We've been through troubled times before and we've gotten through them. The same reasons that brought us on aliyah are as valid today as when we arrived years ago. We believe in a Jewish state. We want to be part of Jewish history and build this country. We want to have some influence over the kind of state that this will be. This is who we are. This is where we belong.

III. Rabbi Ehud Bandel, President of the Masorti Movement:
As we gather to celebrate Israel's Independence Day, the state of Israel finds herself in one of her most difficult hours since her establishment 54 years ago. This year the proximity of Yom HaZikkaron to Yom HaAtzamut has a deeper and more profound meaning as so many of our loved ones are on the front lines struggling for our peace and security.

This is the time to strengthen our unity and solidarity with the state of Israel and its people. Israel is a unique country. Unlike any other, Israel belongs not only to its citizens — for people like me who were born here or for others who chose to make it their home — rather Israel is the state for all Jews wherever they reside. Israel is homeland. Israel is home.

Yom Ha'Atzamut is a time for celebration, though this year it is a bit difficult to be cheerful. But let me assure you. We shall win. We shall overcome. Why? It is because we have a secret weapon. Our secret weapon is not our tanks or our aircraft. Our secret weapon is the Jewish Spirit, the morality of Israeli soldiers and the just cause of our struggle for peace and security. Our secret weapon is also you, your solidarity and your support. "Lo Vechail ve lo be Koach" "Not by might and not by power, but by my spirit said Hashem Tsevaot". The Masorti Movement is committed to these values. "Sha'alu Shlom Yerushalim" "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Strengthen us and we shall strengthen you.

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